Some things aren’t meant to be…

It’s sometimes difficult and very disappointing when things don’t turn out the way you want them to…but some things aren’t meant to be.

Now, you may be wondering what’s prompted me today, of all days, to write a much more personal blog post than I’d normally write? And when you carry on reading this post, you may ask what it’s got to do with flowers?

Well, please read on…

I’ve been umming and ahhing for a little while about being brave enough to open up more on Flowerona….purely with the hope that if I share my story, some of you may relate to it and others may find it helpful.

I’ve always believed in fate. So, on Wednesday this week, when I had to postpone a special birthday treat to go for afternoon tea at Claridges…I put it down to ‘some things aren’t meant to be’.

Even though I was very disappointed, I tried to look on the bright side of the situation and find the cup half full, rather than half empty. (By the way, I’m a reformed character after receiving feedback in appraisals back in the corporate world years ago…and have read a lot of books on the subject!)

So, the positives of not going to Claridges were:

I didn’t have to rush off the phone to get ready to come into London when speaking to my Mum, who was laid up in bed recovering from a slipped disc.

It gave me more time to do my Flowerona work and answer all my emails, knowing I was going to be out of the office for most of Thursday and Friday.

I was around to take an impromptu video call from my two little nephews, wishing me a ‘Happy Birthday’. They were so sweet and really made me chuckle!

And now we move on to the floral element in today’s blog post…

Back in 2004, I’d finally been diagnosed with labrynthitis (an inner ear problem), after two years of not feeling well. It had really drained me…the ‘not knowing’. But now I was slowly on the road to recovery.

We were walking to our local train station one winter’s morning. My eyes were streaming with tears as the wind was so cold…perhaps he thought I was crying!

What he did know though was that I really wasn’t enjoying my corporate job. Added to this, children hadn’t come into our lives and I was finding it very difficult to accept.

He asked me: ‘What do you really love?’ And without hesitation, I said: ‘Flowers…’

He replied: ‘Well, why don’t you do something about it then?’ I did and booked myself on to a floristry evening class. That was the start of my floral journey…

Why I’m sharing this with you is to illustrate that even when you sometimes may feel down in the dumps and things aren’t going the way you’d hoped them to…sometimes you just need to be there, so that you know when you’re climbing up the other side.

If I’d not been ill and unhappy, then I may not have developed my passion for floristry…and Flowerona wouldn’t exist!

And when people ask how I manage to fit everything into my day….write blog posts, answer emails, use social media such as Twitter and Facebook…well, that’s because it’s my sole focus.

In the land of ‘some things aren’t meant to be’, not having children is something I’ve just about got my head around.

I’ve realised that I simply need to get on with my life….and one aspect is focusing on Flowerona. I’ve loved every minute of my journey so far.

So the next time that something doesn’t go the way you want it to, perhaps remember that ‘some things aren’t meant to be’.

I’m a little apprehensive about being so open today, but I hope that my blog post may help you in the future. Or perhaps you can or will be able to relate to it…

I’d love to read any comments you’d like to make below about how you’ve made the best of a situation and turned things around…

Lovely post, and I hope you really enjoy your birthday treat when you get it. – and on a purely selfish personal note, when I saw your tweet last night, I thought maybe you weren’t going to want to do flowerona any more, and that would be heartbreaking, and some things are meant to be..

Thank you so much Liz for your lovely comment. It took me a long time to pluck up the courage to write this blog post…but it seems to have resonated with, and I hope has also helped, a lot of people. 🙂

We love reading your blog along with your tips and other wonderful flower things its all we need in the morning along with a cup of tea….. ,

We both worked for a 5* hotel and loved how creative we could be and the extravagance of the weddings that came our way… But it didn’t make us happy , so we created White Lilac Flowers and although our wage has halved we now love everyday day again and love our job..

The old saying is ” behind every great man is a good woman ” we’ll today were going for ” behind every great man there is a Fabulous woman ( who by the way bogs brilliantly)”

We look forward to reading your next fabulous blog, have a wonderful birthday treat x

I think you may find that more people than you thought will relate to your post and sentiment!

My life course didn’t go the way I planned, following my father’s sudden death when I was 16… instead of uni I went to work on the YTS scheme (remember that?) to support my family. Sometimes, still, I “look back in anger” at what happened back then, but I too try to take the positives from this situation.

My first boss (and his wife & four now grown up children) remains one of my best friends to this day (some 30 years later) – and although we don’t see each other from one year to the next we are “there for each other”. I would have missed that important friendship had I gone to uni.

Over the next years I lived with my mother, yes because I love her, but in order to support her as she struggled to come to terms with this life disaster. I put my own life “on hold” willingly.

When she felt a little better (several years later) and I felt I could relax a little my body let me down and I was very ill for a while…my delayed grief was released and to cope with this I threw myself into work.

Consequence? No social life and hence I didn’t meet that special someone and like you, no children. The upside to this though?

That I met my husband by chance in my late 30s “almost on my doorstep” and I married the most wonderful supportive man, who loves the cakey adventures I am on with my “part-time” career (whilst still not brave enough to give up the day job!). Plus his father (in his mid 80s) has become a “second dad” to me which to some extent eases the pain of not having my own pa around.

So, you see, you struck a cord with me… and I’m sure I won’t be the only one.

My final comment is that had you not followed your path to Flowerona, I’d be without someone who (though we’ve never met) injects a little floral colour and virtual friendship into my life. Thank you!

Thank you Rona for sharing. I finished my morning flower picking today with ‘one door closes another one opens’ and reminded myself that you need to be facing the right way! My baby is my new business growing flowers!! This is not something I would usually share as many people with children think that is sad!

It’s the very personal aspect that makes this a beautiful post. Having such a positive outlook is a real gift and reflects in your work/blog. There are some things in my life which didn’t go to plan (quite a few actually) but I try to look at where it eventually got me – which is mostly a good place 🙂 Thanks for sharing all this, it’s lovely to get to know more about you. Have a great weekend xo

Thank you so much Carole for your comment and your encouragement last night on Twitter for me to be brave enough to publish the blog post. I’m so pleased that I did…I’ve been totally overwhelmed by the amazing response that I’ve had, both here and via tweets.

Thank you for sharing such a personal story Rona. I wish we could all be brave enough to do the same as when you share something like that you help and inspire many other people and that in turn blesses you.
Thank you
Annette x

You’re very welcome Annette…thank you so much for your comment. It took me a very long time to sum up the courage to write it…and it was rewritten a few times too! But I’m so pleased that I published it today…it’s resonated with lots of people. x

Thank you for sharing your post this morning. You truly are an inspiration and I enjoyed reading your experience. Please continue sharing and inspiring others like me to pay more attention to what’s really going on in our personal lives. Thank you so much.

You are very welcome Nikki :-)…and thank you very much for your lovely comments. I may even be brave enough in the future to write some more personal posts, because today’s post has really struck a chord.

Its so lovely to hear stories about how people have been brave enough to embark on a new journey when things haven’t gone their way. Finding the courage to do something you love isn’t as easy as it should be! I hope your success with Flowerona continues long into the future.

Hi Rona, I’m so glad you decided to do your blog, you really excel at it! It was really interesting to read how you came about starting it. I had my twins after IVF and I too am amazed by how many people open up with their similar stories when I tell them about mine.
Finding true fulfillment in life is a long old road and one that you seem to have sussed.
Thanks for having the guts to write this. How is your labrynthitis now?
Vic x

Lovely to hear from you Vic…and thank you so much for your lovely compliments! The labrynthitis came back last year, but I’m very pleased to say that after six months of daily exercises and physio visits, it seems to have sorted itself out :-). x

Hi,
I’ve just read your blog post with a tear in my eye….. I’ve been reading your tweets for a few months now and always look forward to them. Hearing how you started flowerona on a more personal level is definitely an inspiration for me !

Aah Rona – lovely blog. Your honesty and story has obviously had a great resonance with many people and must illustrate to you that you are not ‘alone’.

You are dealing with the hand that has been dealt to you in your own way. Your goodness and generosity will be rewarded – maybe not in the way that you had been expecting or hoped – but you have and will lead a fulfilling life.

Such a beautiful post and well done for being courageous and posting it. I, too, was worried that you might be ending Flowerona which would have been such a shame. I’m glad that’s not the case! You are such a great resource and inspiration for us “flower crazies”. 🙂

Happy Birthday and one day maybe we’ll have tea at Claridge’s together! I would so enjoy that.

I believe in fate and it can bring many surprises, my husband, my three beautiful children and a life in Singapore. I have followed your blog on and off and I find it inspiring.

I came to the UK as a refugee with nothing more than a suitcase, my family still live there and I have moved around with my husband and makes it really hard to stay grounded to invest time and energy into my flowers. In the last 10 years we have lived in Taiwan and Hong Kong, at present we are in Singapore.

I started a boutique floral business from home and have struggled with time and effort ( especially with three children). I was thinking of packing it up until I read your post. It’s given me a little nudge and I will still keep at it, just because I love it!

Rona – well done you. It certainly was a most inspirational blog and soooo lovely to hear you open up and share with us. I feel, since I met you in November, I have watched you grow and literally ‘blossom’ giving us a delightful blog each day. I rec. your blog when I was away for the weekend with girlfriends – as one of the girls is at a crossroads in her life, I read the blog to them all and the synchronicity was very evident, extremely helpful and great fun.
On a personal level, our newly married son and his lovely wife, recently left the UK to take up a new job/life and chapter in Hong Kong – because of their schedule and our holiday it meant they left whilst we were away. Initially I was very distressed not being able to say cheerio properly – I was just thinking of myself instead of how they too would feel. As it happened, it was far better for them to leave without having a simpering weeping Mum and Dad at the airport – ‘some things are not meant to be’!!
Today, a week later they are still a little bemused but much stronger and settling slowly. We are in touch through Skype/emails and text messages to support and encourage them. We too feel better now, miss them a great deal of course, but recognise their lives are ahead and full of great opportunities.
Lovely to share with you and always great to hear from you. xx

Dear Rona, I follow your blog pretty frequently as I too love flowers . Each time I read it I want to go and book a floristry course for myself . Your blog is beautiful and inspiring . And I can very well relate to the child thing . Some things are not meant to be but when one door closes another definitely opens . Love and best wishes , Mansi

Meet Rona

A very warm welcome! My name is Rona Wheeldon and I’ve made it my mission to inspire and support the floristry industry. I’m passionate about this incredible sector and everyone involved, rooting for florists, flower growers and flower wholesalers.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies from this website. More info